Zepeater

The Die Spinne Zepeater was a class of superlarge zeppelin designed to fuction in an anti-zeppelin role. Its primary armament was four linked Tesla projectors and a central core designed to tear through the metal-and-canvas construction of enemy zeppelins.

The attack pattern of the Zepeater was to use its relatively high manouverability to approach enemy zeppelins. A direct shock from the Tesla projectors overloads the enemy engines, slowing it enough for the Zepeater's "jaws" to attack, literally eating other zeppelins, hence the name. Since this means the Zepeater has to get extremely close, it is equipped with more and more powerful engines than is typical for a zeppelin of its size.

The Zepeater was deployed in combat only once, against the Fortune Hunters' Pandora and the Red Skulls' Machiavelli. The Zepeater was able to make a close approach to the joint formation undetected by approaching through the artificial canyons of downtown Chicago. While the Machiavelli was caught off-guard and destroyed almost instantly, the upgraded engines of the Pandora were able to keep it moving for long enough to allow Nathan Zachary and the other Fortune Hunters to destroy the Zepeater.

Like many Die Spinne machines, the Zepeater was powered by volitile Tesla energy cells, in this case housed under defensive armor plates in the nose of the Zepeater. These cells, as well as powering the engines and anti-aircraft weapons, powered the Tesla projectors. When these projectors fired, the cells overheated, requiring the armor protecting them to swing open, venting waste heat. While an effective method, this meant that the armor had to be considerably lighter than planned, allowing these panels to be destroyed by enemy fire, exposing the vulnerable cells.